diff --git a/apps/web/src/base/ErrorState.tsx b/apps/web/src/base/ErrorState.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d6cdd08de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/src/base/ErrorState.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+import { cn } from "@app/utils";
+import { CircleAlert } from "lucide-react";
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
+
+type ErrorStateColor = "blue" | "green" | "gray" | "orange" | "purple" | "red";
+
+type ErrorStateProps = {
+	children?: ReactNode;
+	className?: string;
+	color?: ErrorStateColor;
+	icon?: ReactNode;
+	message?: string;
+};
+
+const iconColors: Record<ErrorStateColor, string> = {
+	blue: "text-blue-500",
+	green: "text-green-500",
+	gray: "text-gray-500",
+	orange: "text-orange-500",
+	purple: "text-purple-500",
+	red: "text-red-500",
+};
+
+/**
+ * A centered error state with an icon, message, and optional action.
+ *
+ * The shared primitive behind the route-level `RouteError` retryable branch and
+ * any view that needs a generic "something went wrong" fallback in place of its
+ * content. Pass the recovery affordance (e.g. a "Try again" button) as
+ * `children`, and override the default icon with `icon` when a different visual
+ * fits.
+ */
+export default function ErrorState({
+	children,
+	className,
+	color = "red",
+	icon = (
+		<CircleAlert
+			className={cn("size-10", iconColors[color])}
+			aria-hidden="true"
+		/>
+	),
+	message = "Something went wrong",
+}: ErrorStateProps) {
+	return (
+		<div
+			className={cn(
+				"flex flex-col items-center justify-center h-96 gap-4",
+				className,
+			)}
+		>
+			{icon}
+			<strong className="text-base">{message}</strong>
+			{children}
+		</div>
+	);
+}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/base/RouteError.tsx b/apps/web/src/base/RouteError.tsx
index fab38cd07..badf09be8 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/base/RouteError.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/base/RouteError.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { useQueryErrorResetBoundary } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { type ErrorComponentProps, useRouter } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { useEffect } from "react";
 import Button from "./Button";
+import ErrorState from "./ErrorState";
 import NotFound from "./NotFound";
 
 function getStatus(error: unknown): number | undefined {
@@ -74,11 +75,10 @@ export default function RouteError({ error }: ErrorComponentProps) {
 	}
 
 	return (
-		<div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center h-96 gap-4">
-			<strong className="text-base">Something went wrong</strong>
+		<ErrorState>
 			<Button color="blue" onClick={() => router.invalidate()}>
 				Try again
 			</Button>
-		</div>
+		</ErrorState>
 	);
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/src/base/__tests__/ErrorState.test.tsx b/apps/web/src/base/__tests__/ErrorState.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..13f03b893
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/src/base/__tests__/ErrorState.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+import { render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import ErrorState from "../ErrorState";
+
+describe("ErrorState", () => {
+	it("should render the default message", () => {
+		render(<ErrorState />);
+		expect(screen.getByText("Something went wrong")).toBeInTheDocument();
+	});
+
+	it("should render a custom message", () => {
+		render(<ErrorState message="Couldn't load samples" />);
+		expect(screen.getByText("Couldn't load samples")).toBeInTheDocument();
+	});
+
+	it("should apply the default red icon color", () => {
+		const { container } = render(<ErrorState />);
+		expect(container.querySelector("svg")).toHaveClass("text-red-500");
+	});
+
+	it("should apply the requested palette color to the icon", () => {
+		const { container } = render(<ErrorState color="orange" />);
+		expect(container.querySelector("svg")).toHaveClass("text-orange-500");
+	});
+
+	it("should hide the decorative default icon from assistive tech", () => {
+		const { container } = render(<ErrorState />);
+		expect(container.querySelector("svg")).toHaveAttribute(
+			"aria-hidden",
+			"true",
+		);
+	});
+
+	it("should render a custom icon in place of the default", () => {
+		const { container } = render(
+			<ErrorState icon={<svg data-testid="custom-icon" />} />,
+		);
+		expect(
+			container.querySelector('[data-testid="custom-icon"]'),
+		).toBeInTheDocument();
+		expect(
+			container.querySelector(".lucide-circle-alert"),
+		).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+	});
+
+	it("should render children as the action", () => {
+		render(
+			<ErrorState>
+				<button type="button">Try again</button>
+			</ErrorState>,
+		);
+		expect(
+			screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Try again" }),
+		).toBeInTheDocument();
+	});
+
+	it("should merge a custom className", () => {
+		const { container } = render(<ErrorState className="custom-class" />);
+		expect(container.firstChild).toHaveClass("custom-class");
+	});
+});
diff --git a/apps/web/src/routes/__root.tsx b/apps/web/src/routes/__root.tsx
index cd1707ef3..5b224c415 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/routes/__root.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/routes/__root.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import "@app/style.css";
 import LoadingPlaceholder from "@base/LoadingPlaceholder";
 import NotFound from "@base/NotFound";
+import RouteError from "@base/RouteError";
 import { type QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import {
 	createRootRouteWithContext,
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ export const Route = createRootRouteWithContext<RouterContext>()({
 	shellComponent: RootShell,
 	component: RootComponent,
 	pendingComponent: LoadingPlaceholder,
+	errorComponent: RouteError,
 	notFoundComponent: NotFoundComponent,
 });
 
diff --git a/docs/queries.md b/docs/queries.md
index c2b2dab96..1a1a23edc 100644
--- a/docs/queries.md
+++ b/docs/queries.md
@@ -138,10 +138,15 @@ For the resource a route exists to show (detail pages, the record the URL is
 
 Loading is absorbed by the `<Suspense>` boundary already wrapping the
 authenticated `<Outlet>`. Errors are caught by the router's
-`defaultErrorComponent` (`@base/RouteError`), wired once in `router.tsx`: it
-reads the HTTP status off the error and renders a permission message for 403,
-a not-found for 404, and a retryable message otherwise. A route only needs its
-own `errorComponent` when it wants bespoke copy.
+`defaultErrorComponent` (`@base/RouteError`), wired once in `router.tsx`, and
+by the root route's own `errorComponent` (also `@base/RouteError`, in
+`routes/__root.tsx`) which catches failures in the root shell that the default
+wouldn't. `RouteError` reads the HTTP status off the error and renders a
+permission message for 403, a not-found for 404, and otherwise the shared
+`@base/ErrorState` primitive (a centered icon + message + "Try again" action).
+A route only needs its own `errorComponent` when it wants bespoke copy; reach
+for `@base/ErrorState` directly when a non-route view needs the same generic
+"something went wrong" fallback.
 
 Keep a loader's `404 → notFound()` mapping where it exists — that routes a
 missing record to the dedicated `notFoundComponent` rather than the error